Marble Burying Test

A number of tests of anxiety in rodents have been developed to find out more about the biological bases of anxiety disorders and develop new, more efficient pharmacological and/or behavioral treatments. Particularly, Creative Biolabs utilizes the marble burying test to assess the anxiolytic effects of pharmacological manipulations and to detect phenotypes related to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders in genetically modified mouse models.

Introduction of Marble Burying Test

The marble burying test is a useful model of both obsessive compulsive-like (OCD) behavior and/or anxiety-like behavior. When put in a cage with marbles, mice with OCD-like symptoms tend to engage in a high degree of repetitive behaviors (including digging), while mice with a high degree of anxiety tend to engage in a high degree of digging in novel contexts (potentially as a means to attempt to escape the new cage).

In the practical test, glass marbles are placed in a regular pattern, evenly spaced. The mouse is treated with the vehicle or compound 30 minutes before the test and is then placed in the cage for another 30 minutes. The number of marbles buried (at least 2/3 of the area) with bedding is counted. When the animals are injected with effective drugs, the number of marbles buried decreases.

Features of Mable Burying Test

• The test is sensitive to both the benzodiazepines, which are commonly used to treat anxiety, and the Selective Serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are used to treat both OCD and anxiety.
• Studies have reported that the marble burying behavior can be decreased by antidepressants (including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants) and antipsychotics.
• It is crucial to keep the laboratory quiet during the testing sessions to avoid unintended results.
• The validity of the marble burying test is quite controversial; thus, the general consensus is to perform a battery of anxiety tests with a high predictive validity to determine the potential therapeutic value of a novel agent.

Fig.1 The CK1ε inhibitor PF-670462 shows anxiolytic activity in the marble burying test. (Roberds et al. 2011)

Meanwhile, Creative Biolabs is also capable of providing other tests to assess anxiety-like behavior in rodents:

• Elevated Plus Maze Test
• Light/Dark Box Test

Creative Biolabs provides a wide range of behavioral tests (e.g., motor function, cognition, social behavior) for mice phenotyping as well as drug screening and efficacy assessment. Moreover, these tests can be customized to suit the specific scientific needs of our clients. Additionally, new behavioral tests are constantly being developed and validated.

An extensive range of rodent neurological disease models is placed below for your review:

For more information, please contact us or send us an inquiry.

Reference

1. Roberds, S. L.; et al. Rapid, computer vision-enabled murine screening system identifies neuropharmacological potential of two new mechanisms[J]. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2011, 5:103.

For Research Use Only.